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enBillionaire Chris Burchhttp://www.bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/billionaire-chris-burch
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.bjtonline.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/burch146_web.jpg?itok=Na0_PpzZ" width="100" height="67" alt="Chris Burch, founder and CEO of Burch Creative Capital" title="Chris Burch, founder and CEO of Burch Creative Capital (Photo: Bill Bernstein)" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p class="p1"><em><span class="s1"><b>He sold sweaters door-to-door to fellow students at Ithaca College. That turned out to be his first step on the road to becoming a billionaire.&nbsp;</b></span></em></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">As founder and CEO of Burch Creative Capital, entrepreneur and investor&nbsp;J. Christopher Burch has helped to establish companies in the fashion, hospitality and technology industries. Along with his then wife, fashion designer&nbsp;Tory Burch, he cofounded Tory Burch LLC in 2004 and he </span><span class="s2">­continues to be a large share</span><span class="s1">holder in that company. His other ­present investments include Trademark, a clothing ­business launched by two of his daughters; E.D., a fashion line created with Ellen DeGeneres; Nihiwatu Resort in Indonesia; Aliph, which owns Jawbone, maker of Bluetooth headsets and speakers and fitness trackers; </span><span class="s2">and Poppin, which manufactures and sells office supplies.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1">Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Burch says&nbsp;he was a terrible student. He couldn’t focus, couldn’t read and was last in his elementary school class. The problem was severe attention deficit disorder (long before the phrase was even known). Burch’s parents were told that their son had a wandering mind and they should limit their hopes for his future. When he was 14, however, his parents managed to get him into the Tilton prep school in New Hampshire, to which Burch gifted $1.3 million in 2013.</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">When he was in junior high school, his father put him to work in construction after school and during the summer. Burch was a small, scrawny kid and as he spent his days pushing heavy wheelbarrows, he concluded that there had to be an easier way to make a living. While an undergrad at Ithaca College in 1976, he decided to sell preppy girls’ sweaters door-to-door on campus. With his brother and a $2,000 investment, Burch started an apparel company, Eagle’s Eye. (Eagle was their father’s nickname.) The operation expanded and the brothers sold it to the UK-based Swire Group in a deal that concluded in 1998 and that valued the business at $60 million.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Since launching that initial venture, Burch has spent nearly 40 years as an investor and entrepreneur, participating in the rise of more than 50 companies and building a personal fortune that has been estimated at $1 billion. We caught up with him at his sleek offices in the Flatiron district of Manhattan.</span></p>
<hr>
<p class="p1"><b>Your father owned a business [a distributorship of mining equipment and supplies]. What did you learn from him? &nbsp;</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">My father was my hero. He was the guy who, when someone broke down on the road, would pick them up. He was 100 percent about integrity and the truth.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>Where did you get your interest in creeating fashion companies?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s2">I played tennis in college and when the pro tour came through Philadelphia I looked at the players with their bright green sweaters and tennis shorts. I used to go to a thrift shop and buy secondhand preppy clothes and that’s how I started my first company. I copied Drumohr’s brushed Shetland sweaters in bright colors and sold them to college girls on campuses.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">The first shipment came from a factory in </span><span class="s3">Scotland—$20,000 worth of sweaters. It was dev</span><span class="s1">astating. The factory screwed us and gave us tiny sweaters. We had to sell them, so we sold them as [if they were intentionally] really tight. Then we put strawberries and whales on turtlenecks and Fair Isle sweaters and we were off and running.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>What factors lead you to invest in a business? &nbsp;</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">It’s 100 percent people. All my investments are based on the human side and the disruptive side of the business.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>Do you have an industry-specific focus?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I invest in healthcare, hotels and consumer products. We have a big investment in a food company called Little Duck Organics and I put up the initial capital for Guggenheim Capital. Now it’s one of the larger banks. For me, it’s about being open and warm and investing in great people and being a good partner. &nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>What do you look for in people? How do you read them? &nbsp;</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I ask them to tell me about their parents and siblings. I look for core values, energy, passion, positiveness and specific talent. I want to be involved the rest of my life with people who can benefit the customer first, themselves second and me third. I look for people who are extraordinarily, disruptively talented.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>Speaking of disruptive, you’ve said that you’ve been involved in brands that disrupt and change the world with new ideas and concepts. Can you explain? &nbsp;</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">If you look at Jawbone or Jambox, they’ve created a new way of listening to music. In Faena Hotel, we took the worst section of ­Buenos Aires and turned it into the most exciting place. In 2013, we took one of the most difficult places in the world to work in—Sumba Island in Indonesia—and were able to make Nihiwatu Resort happen.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>What made you decide to buy Nihiwatu?</b></p>
<p class="p2">I first went there with my sons. It was a little surf village. Hotelier James McBride persuaded me to come back a second time and I knew it was special. I bought it for my children and as a piece of something that I hope we can preserve and give back to the community. When you’re in a place where the palette is so beautiful, you can do things that you can’t do in other places: build a spa under a waterfall, go to places where no others have been, have a butler in every room. Nihiwatu has turned into more than I expected, which is rare because most times things turn into less. &nbsp;</p>
<p class="p1"><b>In projects in which you invest, do you help with the creative as well? &nbsp;</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">In the case of a business, I may be actually designing and merchandising the product. In some businesses, it’s very collaborative; in other businesses it’s not. But my core strength—[the reason] people come to me—is my creativity.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>In 2005 you bought a house in Southampton for $14 million, renovated it and sold it four months later for $25 million. Do you buy properties with the intention of flipping them?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I did that for a long time. I bought in ­Nantucket, I bought in Southampton, I bought all over the world. That was a fun business&nbsp;but I’m not doing that much now. I just buy properties for myself.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>A year after selling the Southampton house you founded J.B. Christopher, a supplier of construction materials to real estate developers. Do you create businesses based on a particular need? &nbsp;</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Yes, for instance, I started a company with Steve Ross, founder of Related Companies [a real estate developer], to supply a lot of its building materials. Today we’re working with great hoteliers around the world. We provide furniture, kitchens, whatever.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>In 2011 you formed C. Wonder, a retailer of inexpensive preppy clothing and gifts, which you grew to 32 stores. You said C. Wonder was a “really good idea that should have been successful.” What happened?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I would love to talk to you about this but cannot for legal reasons.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>What’s your strength?</b></p>
<p class="p2">We add a very creative component to the capital: linking, marketing and creativity. We just invested in Vital Now!, a company in the healthcare area, to help people save on their copay. When we do the ads, I’ll bring in my team and my advisors and we’ll talk about what the ad should look like and how do we do it. A normal private-equity guy is not doing the ads for a company. We want to get involved in the nitty-gritty details but not necessarily in the board meetings. &nbsp;</p>
<p class="p1"><b>You partnered with Ellen DeGeneres to launch her lifestyle collection, E.D. She said you’re both very competitive and want to break every rule. What did she mean? &nbsp;</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Ellen and I both never say die. She’s an amazing person and we have a unique relationship. We’re real partners. This is not something where I’m paying her. We’re partners. &nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>Ellen flew to Paris on your jet. How long have you had your GIV? &nbsp;</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">A year and a half. &nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>How did you fly before that? &nbsp;</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I leased planes. &nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>Did you refurbish the GIV?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s2">I did. Actually, I wanted to turn it into the superhero jet and put Batman, Robin and all these people on the outside—really fun. I’m working on it. I’m looking at painting it so that you can look through it like in 3D and have all the superheroes sitting in the aircraft. Every company says I shouldn’t do it, that no one will lease it, but I think they will, and I want to do it. &nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>How does the GIV help you in your business and personal life? &nbsp;</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s4">It allows my friends and people around me to talk business on the aircraft and really enjoy the trip a little bit more. And I can treat someone like Ellen to a beautiful trip. It makes it easier for her because she can relax and not worry about being in a public atmosphere.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s2">The GIV really is incredibly helpful—not for positioning, it’s for comfort. I feel much happier in the plane when I fill it with people than when I fly it alone. It’s really beautiful. You talk about something that’s beautiful to me—airplanes are beautiful. &nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>Why? &nbsp;</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s4">I don’t know if it’s the design, the metal, the fact that it has to be structurally so pure, how it stays up or what it looks like. It’s beautiful. I had a conversation with the artist James Turrell about lighting my plane. He’s one of the great light artists of all time and I want to make my plane a creative plane. It could be a superhero plane, lit by Turrell. Planes are all white—there are some reasons for that, but it would be cool to see something beautiful. &nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>You’ve said that Asia is more important to you now than the U.S., that the Chinese are buying more luxury items than the Americans. How do you find the business climate in China?&nbsp;</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I find the Chinese to be extraordinarily brilliant and fun to work with. No roadblocks.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>You once said you attribute your successes to luck, but what do you really attribute them to? &nbsp;</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Tenacity, creativity, passion and sensitivity.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>What drives you? &nbsp;</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Insecurity and opportunity. &nbsp;</span></p>
<hr>
<p class="p1"><em><a href="mailto:mgoldsmith@bjtonline.com">Margie Goldsmith</a> interviewed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola for <strong>BJT</strong>’s February/March issue.</em></p>
<hr>
<p><strong>FAST FACTS</strong></p>
<p class="p1"><b>NAME:&nbsp; J. Christopher Burch</b></p>
<p class="p1"><b>BIRTHDATE:</b> March 28, 1953 (age 62)</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s2"><b>POSITION:</b> Founder and CEO,&nbsp;Burch Creative Capital</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>PREVIOUS POSITIONS: </b>Cofounder, Eagle’s Eye and Tory Burch LLC</p>
<p class="p1"><b>EDUCATION: B.A.</b>, Ithaca College, 1976</p>
<p class="p1"><b>PERSONAL:</b> Lives in Miami; Southampton, New York; Sumba, Indonesia; Senlis, France. Divorced from Susan Cole and Tory Burch. Three children from each marriage. Enjoys collecting minerals, fishing, sailing and ­spending time with his children.</p>
<hr>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Christopher Burch’s Gulfstream GIV<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span></b></span></p>
<p class="p2">Years produced<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>1986–92&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p2">Variable cost/hour for latest model<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>$5,209&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p2">Seating (exec/max)<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>13/19</p>
<p class="p2">Range (nm)<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>4,168</p>
<p class="p2">Maximum cruise speed (kt)<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>500</p>
<p class="p2">Maximum takeoff weight (lb)<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>73,200</p>
<p class="p2">Cost range used (millions)&nbsp;<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span> $3.0–$4.0&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s2"><i>Sources:</i><b><i> </i></b><i>Conklin &amp; de Decker Aircraft Cost Evaluator and Aircraft Performance Comparator, Vref Aircraft Value Reference</i></span></p>
</div></div></div>Tue, 12 May 2015 16:47:36 +0000Margie Goldsmith5771 at http://www.bjtonline.comhttp://www.bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/billionaire-chris-burch#commentsAnnika ­Sorenstamhttp://www.bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/annika-sorenstam
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.bjtonline.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/12172014_annika060v2_web.jpg?itok=yb0Y1-1N" width="100" height="84" alt="“At first I thought flying privately was a luxury and I felt guilty. Then I realized how much more I can do in a week than I would if I had to fly commercially.” (Photo: Cy Cyr)" title="“At first I thought flying privately was a luxury and I felt guilty. Then I realized how much more I can do in a week than I would if I had to fly commercially.” (Photo: Cy Cyr)" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p class="p3"><span class="s2"><em><strong>The golf great talks about the game’s future, flying privately and her new life as an entrepreneur.&nbsp;</strong></em></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s2">The most dominant female golfer in history is multifaceted. One minute, Annika ­Sorenstam is recounting the business acumen that helped make her the only female golfer to pass the $20 million mark in career earnings. The next, she’s talking about the need for better nutrition for children. That’s typical, as she’s known for both her caring nature and her desire to crush competitors.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s2">Sorenstam captured the world’s attention with a record 89 tournament wins, including 72 LPGA ­victories, as well as a record eight Rolex Player of the Year Awards. People call her “Ms. 59,” because she turned in the only sub-60 round in LPGA history. ­During her 15-year career, the Swedish-born athlete was instrumental in increasing the popularity of women’s golf. After Sorenstam competed in a PGA event, LPGA tournaments saw a 44 percent increase in television viewers and a 14 percent increase in attendance. Now, she contributes regularly on the Golf Channel.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s2">Though retired from professional competition since 2008, Sorenstam remains a powerful force in the sport. Her businesses includes the Annika Academy, a boutique-style golf school on the grounds of the Reunion Resort near Orlando, Florida; the Annika Collection with Cutter &amp; Buck, offering women’s golf wear; Annika Course Design, which has completed golf courses in such countries as South Korea, China and South Africa; and Annika Financial Group, which caters to the special needs of professional athletes. Her charity, Annika Foundation, teaches children about fitness and nutrition and conducts events for aspiring junior golfers.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s2">Sitting down with us recently at Annika Academy, Sorenstam discussed life off of the LPGA tour, the need for mentoring the next generation, the unexpected challenges of business and how golf’s popularity might continue to grow.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>Why did you quit competing professionally to become an entrepreneur?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">In 2007, I hurt my neck and back, mostly from just over-practicing or over-playing. I was out for a few months, and I started realizing there are some other things in life that I would enjoy doing. I literally woke up one morning and said 2008 is going to be my last year.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>No regrets?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I was in the middle of my last season, and of course there was a lot of juggling with competing and business development. I’d be on the course, and I’d be thinking about different things, and my caddy said, “I know you are ready because normally you’d be focused, and now you’re thinking about your logo.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>So you developed several businesses pretty quickly?</b></p>
<p class="p2">I didn’t want to have a year or two of not knowing what to do, because that’s not my <span class="s1">­personality. I gathered a group of friends of mine who were successful. I respected their businesses,so I asked them if they would be my advisory board. I asked, “What do I do, and how do I get there?” We started full gear in 2009.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>The country was in a recession when you launched your brand. How did that affect you?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s2">We started in 2008 when there was the worst economic environment. If we’d had a crystal ball we might not have done it then, but you take things as they come and you just adjust to the cards you’ve been dealt. It was tough early on. Keep in mind, I came from being the best [female] golfer in the world. I’m used to having success.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>Did your drive to win help you as much in the business world as it did in golf tournaments?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I’m extremely competitive. I might not show it on my sleeve as much as some people, but when it came to starting a business I just transferred my energy and my competitive drive into having a successful academy. I analyze a lot of things just like I would do in my golf game. I try to figure out why we’re having problems; then I find a strategy and execute the things we need to do.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>What are the differences between competing in golf and running a golf academy?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">As a golfer you have one individual and one employee, which is your caddy, and now all of a sudden you have more and you have to deal with all of that. You’ve got a team and you’ve got to share your vision and share the workload. It was a wakeup call in many ways for me. We stayed true to our values and what we stand for, and maybe we’ve had to deliver it in a little bit of a different way, but it’s fun.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>Which part of your career has been more difficult?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I probably work harder today. I worked hard [as a golf pro], but having a family with two kids, there’s a lot of juggling. It’s been fun, but it’s been challenging and tough.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>What prompted you to start using business jets?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I won the U.S. Open in 1995 and all of a sudden the requests started coming in to be in many places and they were often on short notice, so the events would send a jet. Jim Colbert, a PGA player, suggested business jets to me when I lived in Palm Springs, but he was 55 and he had made millions and I thought, “That’s easy for you to say!” He said, “Trust me, you’re investing for the future.” In 1996, I heard of NetJets and realized that it was something that I could do on my own that would be efficient.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>Do you now agree with Colbert about using business jets?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Yes. I’m a lot more productive, I’m rested, and there is no hassle. I’m more on time, too. I can work on the plane, so you can prepare in a peaceful environment. Everybody says it’s so expensive, but think of the outcome. If you can extend your career by a year or two or maybe five years, think of that.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>How often do you fly privately?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s3">I have 50 hours a year with NetJets, and then, when we do events and they send a private plane, there are other companies that I fly with, too.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>What determines whether you fly commercially or privately for a particular trip?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Time is the most important factor for me. I call business jets my time machine. I want to be away as little as possible from my kids. If I can spend the night at home, then I will fly home late after a dinner function. It all depends on the location and the time it takes to get there. If I can’t fly direct and it’d take me all day to travel, then I take a private jet.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">At first I thought it was a luxury. I’m budget conscious, and in the beginning I felt guilty. Then I realized how much more I can do in a week than I would if I had to fly commercially.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">One example is that I had played in a golf tournament and I was really exhausted, but I had another tournament to play in the next week. I flew home on Sunday and relaxed, and I took a jet to the next tournament on Thursday night. I ended up winning the tournament because I was so well rested. It was costly for me to get there, but I ended up making a bigger check so I made more money. That’s when it hit: I don’t have to feel guilty anymore.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>As a teen, you moved from Sweden to the University of Arizona, a decision you’ve called the turning point in your life. How did that impact you?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">It was golf all year around, playing with the best players in the world at a young age. So that really challenged me. It’s a big step for any </span>teen<span class="s1">ager to move thousands of miles away to another country. You have to have the courage to give it a try—otherwise you’ll never know. You start to take some responsibility for your life.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>So you really grew up, leaving your parents to live in a new country?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Yes, but my mom always said it’s just as far to go there as it is to return, meaning I could always come back. My parents were not pushy—they weren’t the ones you’d be ashamed of, screaming from the side of the fairway.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>Did you get your work ethic from your family?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s2">My parents worked very hard, but they didn’t have their own business. I wanted to do it on my own, and looking back, I think that the drive has to come from yourself. Parents can push, but it’s not going to work until you encourage your kids and then they run with the ball on their own. My parents did a good job there.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>Now you’re trying to pass along the same encouragement to the next generation through the Annika Foundation?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I feel lucky to be here, to have the life that I have. Growing up, I didn’t really have that many people that I could talk to. I didn’t have a mentor. When you see young kids nowadays, there are so many decisions to make, so for me it’s fun to share a little bit of the wealth and knowledge that I have and to grow the game and inspire the next generation. I feel good about giving back to the community, giving somebody life, or hope, or a smile.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>You worked with Jack Nicklaus to add golf to the Olympics in 2016. Where do you think the game is heading?</b></p>
<p class="p2">I’m a believer that to grow the game, we have to do it on a global basis. Other countries don’t even know what golf is, and they’ll only hear about it if it’s an Olympic sport, because when sports are in the Olympics, all of a sudden governments or federations start supporting them.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>There is opportunity to grow the game, then?</b></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">The Olympics are in Brazil, and it’s a big country and they’ve got only four courses. In South America, golf is really not in their culture; it’s soccer and polo and other sports. So I think it’ll be interesting [to have golf in the Olympics there]. I do know that China is pumping money into their team now. I’m excited to see where the game goes from here. &nbsp;</span></p>
<hr>
<p class="p1"><strong>FAST FACTS</strong></p>
<p class="p1"><b>NAME: </b>Annika Sorenstam</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>BORN: </b>Oct. 9, 1970, in Stockholm, Sweden</span></p>
<p class="p1"><b>OCCUPATION: </b>Retired golf pro, owner of several golf-related businesses</p>
<p class="p1"><b>ACHIEVEMENTS: </b>Winner of 89 pro ­tournaments, more than any other female golfer. Career ­<span class="s2">earnings exceed $22 million, also more than any </span>other female golfer. Winner of a record eight&nbsp;Rolex Player of the Year awards. In 2003, became first woman to play in a PGA tour since 1945.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>TRANSPORTATION: </b>NetJets fractional share&nbsp;in a Citation Encore</p>
<p class="p1"><b>EDUCATION: </b>Attended University of Arizona.</p>
<p class="p1"><b>PERSONAL: </b>Married to Mike McGee, managing director for the Annika brands. The couple live in Orlando, Florida, with their daughter Ava, born 2009, and son William, born 2011.&nbsp;</p>
<hr>
<p class="p1"><b>ANNIKA SORENSTAM'S FRACTIONAL JET SHARE</b></p>
<p class="p1"><b>Model:&nbsp;</b><span class="s1">Cessna Citation Encore</span></p>
<p class="p1"><strong>Year produced:</strong> 2000-2009</p>
<p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1">Variable cost/hour for latest model:&nbsp;</span></strong>$2,190</p>
<p class="p1"><strong>Seating (exec/max):</strong> 7/10</p>
<p class="p1"><strong>Range:</strong> 1,712 nm</p>
<p class="p1"><strong>Max cruise speed:</strong> 436 kt</p>
<p class="p1"><strong>Max take-off weight:</strong> 16,830 lb</p>
<p class="p1"><strong>Cost new:</strong> N.A.</p>
<p class="p1"><strong>Cost range (used):</strong> $2.6–$5 million</p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1"><i>Sources: Conklin &amp; de Decker Aircraft Cost Evaluator and Aircraft Performance&nbsp;Comparator, Vref Aircraft Value Reference<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span></i></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s1"><i>Assumptions: Jet fuel, $7.16/gal. Variable cost includes fuel, routine maintenance reserves and misc. expenses. Range is with four passengers (200 lb each including baggage), NBAA IFR fuel reserve 200 nm alternate.</i></span></p>
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<p class="p1"><em><a href="mailto:kbutton@bjtonline.com"><b>Kimberly Button</b></a> is a Florida-based freelance writer.</em></p>
<p class="p3"><b>&nbsp;</b></p>
</div></div></div>Fri, 27 Mar 2015 13:52:11 +0000Kimberly Button5486 at http://www.bjtonline.comhttp://www.bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/annika-sorenstam#commentsFrancis Ford Coppolahttp://www.bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/francis-ford-coppola
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.bjtonline.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/ffc3_web_0.jpg?itok=zkHnvZsF" width="100" height="68" alt="Coppola uses his Daher-Socata TBM 850 for flights within California. (Photo: Chad Keig)" title="Coppola uses his Daher-Socata TBM 850 for flights within California. (Photo: Chad Keig)" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p class="p1"><em><strong>The acclaimed director talks about filmmaking and flying.</strong></em></p>
<p class="p3">Five-time Academy Award winner Francis Ford Coppola is one of the world’s most innovative and influential filmmakers. <em>The Godfather</em>, which he made while in his early 30s, has been ranked second only to Citizen Kane on the American Film Institute’s list of the greatest American movies. Also high on the list are his <em>Apocalypse Now </em>and <em>The Godfather Part II</em>. <em>(See list below.)</em></p>
<p class="p3">Born in 1939, Coppola spent his childhood in Queens, New York, where he was bedridden with polio. He used the time to create theatrical productions with puppets and, by age 15, to make 8mm home movies. After high school, he received a degree from Hofstra University and went to UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television to make his first low-budget cult classic, <i>Dementia 13</i>. In 1969, along with George Lucas, Coppola created a production company, American Zoetrope, which was an early adopter of digital filmmaking. The studio has garnered 68 Academy Award nominations and won 15 Oscars.</p>
<p class="p3">Coppola travels the world on his Dassault Falcon 7X business jet, and not only to make films: he owns luxury resorts in Belize, Guatemala, Argentina and southern Italy, where his grandfather was born. He also owns cafés and a literary magazine and, for 35 years, has produced wine at his Napa Valley estate, Inglenook, as well as at the Francis Ford Coppola WInery in Sonoma County. When asked why he has undertaken so many diverse projects, he replies, “It’s all entertainment.”</p>
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<p class="p1"><em><b>What did your father encourage you to do with your life?</b></em></p>
<p class="p2">My father wanted me to be an engineer because I always got an A in science even though I failed every [other] subject in school.</p>
<p class="p1"><em><b>Who was your first mentor?</b></em></p>
<p class="p2">My brother, five years older, now passed, was a major influence. He gave me books to read and taught me things. If he was going to be a novelist, I thought I could become a playwright. Whatever he wanted to be, that’s what I wanted to be, too. He was better at everything: extremely handsome, a super lady’s man, popular, and good at school.</p>
<p class="p1"><em><b>You attended 23 schools before graduating from high school. How did that happen and how did all the moving around affect you?</b></em></p>
<p class="p2">No one knows why my father kept moving. I later thought he was speculating on houses because he’d buy a home and then we’d sell it and move. I didn’t have time to make friends at school so I was very involved with my older brother and younger sister. It made us a very tight little family unit.</p>
<p class="p1"><em><b>Besides your brother, who encouraged you?</b></em></p>
<p class="p2">At UCLA, a wonderful directing teacher, Dorothy Arzner. Soon after, I became an assistant for producer Roger Corman. It was a fabulous opportunity to learn low-budget production.</p>
<p class="p1"><em><b>What was the most important thing Corman taught you?</b></em></p>
<p class="p2">There can’t be any waste in filmmaking. You have to sharpen your pencil to a fine point and learn how to always save money.</p>
<p class="p1"><em><b>Corman let you direct your first feature in 1963,</b><strong> </strong></em><strong>Dementia 13</strong><em><strong>. How did that come about?</strong></em></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s4">Whenever Roger made a film for a company, he’d also personally finance a smaller picture, taking advantage of the available equipment and crew. I gave him a couple of scenes to read in Europe, and on the strength of that he gave me $20,000 and suggested I go to Ireland to find English-speaking actors. There, I met an English producer and sold him the English rights for another $20,000, so I had $40,000 to spend on my first movie.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><b>In 1969 you decided that the studio system had stifled your vision. What were you hoping for when you created Zoetrope?</b></em></p>
<p class="p2">I wanted to make more personal art films like the French New Wave and the great Italian directors such as Fellini and Antonioni, movies with more personal artistic expression rather than Hollywood pictures. We founded Zoetrope to try to be more independent.</p>
<p class="p1"><em><b>Robert Evans [head of production at Paramount Pictures at the time] said you didn’t want to direct </b></em><b>The Godfather</b><em><b>.</b></em></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s5">I thought the novel was sort of sleazy and didn’t want to direct it because while parts of [the book] had the story of the family and the Mafia, a big percentage was much more salacious material. A third of it is about a character, Lucy Mancini, who had to have an operation on her private anatomy. I got the job partly because movies about the Mafia had been unsuccessful and they liked the performances I’d gotten when I made <em>The Rain People</em>. They thought they had an Italian-American director who could get good performances and take heat from the Italian community about a film emphasizing gangsters. Plus, I was young, so they figured they could boss me around.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b>How were you able to stand your ground when the studio fought you over so many of your decisions regarding </b></em></b></em><b><b>The Godfather</b></b><em><b><em><b>.</b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2">I’d been pretty clever at Hofstra about getting my own way. Negotiating and finding ways to do what you want when you have no power is a specialty of a penniless student.</p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b>What was it like to work with Brando?</b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s4">He was extremely easy to work with. You just suggested what you were going for, and he was so creative. He hated to talk about acting but loved to have props such as little plates of Italian appetizers. In one scene I put a cat in his hand. He liked you to engage with him and provide stuff that he could take advantage of as an actor.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b>What do you think made Al Pacino so great for his role in </b></em></b></em></b></em><b><b><b>The Godfather</b></b></b><em><b><em><b><em><b>?</b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s3">Al Pacino is an extremely intelligent, talented person. Some actors are intelligent but not talented and some are talented but not so intelligent. Al was both and could conceptualize the internal life of that character in a way that was so vivid.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><b>What do you think is the most important thing the trilogy conveyed?</b></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s3">I think the metaphor of the American business system put into the metaphor of the Mafia, which is a kind of pragmatic [attitude]—anything you do to make a profit is OK.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><b>What do you think of such latter-day Mafia works as </b></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em><b><b><b><strong>Goodfellas</strong></b></b></b><em><b><em><b><em><b><strong> <em>and</em> </strong></b></em></b></em></b></em><b><b><b><strong>The Sopranos</strong></b></b></b><em><b><em><b><em><b><strong>.</strong></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2"><em><em><em><em>Goodfellas</em> </em></em></em>is a masterpiece about the working stiffs who are the so-called soldiers of the Mafia. I didn’t see <em>The Sopranos</em> [until] recently. I was touched with its greatness throughout.</p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><b>What is the most rewarding aspect of being a director?</b></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2">I love seeing something that was just a lot of ideas and thoughts on a piece of paper turned into a beautiful, living, emotional work of art.</p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><b>Do you think you were born with a talent to write or is that something you can learn?</b></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2">I struggle all the time, overcoming that lack of the gift of writing through hard work. Writing, like acting, is something you can get better at.</p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><b>What actors haven’t you worked with but would like to?</b></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2">Michael Fassbender is a wonderful actor [as is] James Franco. Philip Seymour Hoffman attended a reading of my new script just a few days before we lost him. That was heartbreaking.</p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><em><b>What is the new film you are working on?</b></em></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s3">It’s a kind of epic that chronicles several generations of an Italian-American family. Right now, we’re finalizing the script and working on casting. It deals with three generations of a family who are making a migration from being the working poor into being a family of artists—not unlike my own family, although it is totally fiction.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><em><b>You’ve always been a risk-taker. How did that ethic come about?</b></em></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2">I thought the only way you could really fail in life is if you were some old guy dying and saying, “Oh! I wish I had done this and I wish I had done that.” When I pass away, I’ll basically have nothing I wish I’d done because I did everything I wanted to do and I continue to live that way.</p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><em><b>I understand your grandfather made wine&nbsp;when you were a boy. Did that give you the inspiration to buy a Napa Valley wine estate?</b></em></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s5">During Prohibition, the law permitted a family to drink wine as part of a meal and to make two barrels of their own wine. My grandfather had a fermenter in the basement and all my uncles talked about how much fun it was. Making wine and drinking it throughout the year was something I associated with my family and a lot of fun.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><em><b>What are your favorite wines?</b></em></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s3">Inglenook is great, and it’s also my favorite because my family was raised on that property. I love wine from the Rhône district, the fabulous Burgundies from Burgundy, southern Italian, Spanish wine. I love all wine, but I am not a wine expert. I just like to eat and have wine with my meals.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><em><em><b>How did you happen to create the Coppola Resorts?</b></em></em></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I bought my first place, a small house in a remote part of the jungle in Belize, to remind me of my two years in the Philippines making Apocalypse Now. We fixed it up and needed a staff to stay there and look out for it and it ended up becoming a little inn. Then we built a second property because people wanted to go to the beach. When I made a film in Argentina, there was a lovely little hotel for sale; then we found another one in Guatemala; so little by little, it just happened.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s5">Our latest resort, Palazzo Margherita, is a big palazzo in southern Italy where my grandfather was born. We’d heard about the area from my grandfather, and the kind of food that he liked to eat comes from there. It has wonderful wine and it’s just an enchanting part of Italy not known well because it’s in the south in a region called Lucania. I am convinced that successful businesses grow out of things you love to do.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><em><em><em><b>When did you start flying privately?</b></em></em></em></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2">I co-owned an MU-2, a turboprop that I used for a lot of the air-to-helicopter photography in Apocalypse Now. My kids used to call it “The Banana Plane” because it was yellow.</p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><em><em><em><em><b>How do you fly now?</b></em></em></em></em></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2">In California, for wine and film industry work, I use the Socata TBM 850, a small, very fast plane that can take only four people but is perfect for frequent business trips from Napa to Los Angeles. I also own the Falcon 7X, which I use for long trips, whether I’m going to Italy or dealing with hotels or films or handling wine sales in Asia.</p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><b>How did you decide on the 7X?</b></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s5">It was intriguing because it was the first business jet to do fly-by-wire, and it has three engines. Let’s face it: in aviation you can never have too much fuel, too much altitude or too many engines. The 7X can fly at 50,000 feet and is a much more economical plane per hour than some of its competitors. It is also comforting to know that if you ever lose an engine, you still have two.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><b>And how do you travel on the ground?</b></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I like to drive my Tesla between my wineries. I also have a 1939 Tucker, a 1936 Cord, a 1913 Model T Ford, an Isetta and a bunch of Citroëns.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><b>What is a typical day like for you?</b></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s4">Wake up very early and have coffee and a banana, hopefully with my wife. My favorite thing is sitting around with her doing nothing. Then I come down to my bungalow and work on scripts. I have lunch with my wife, and by the afternoon I’m thinking about what to do that evening, but I like to stay home.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><b>You’ve been married for more than 50 years. Do you have any thoughts on what makes a marriage successful?</b></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s3">I think you must maintain a degree of privacy; you both have to have things you love that the marriage is resilient enough to handle. If my wife wants to go on a trip somewhere, that only makes her more interesting when she comes home. I think the secret of a long-term marriage is you find the person that you like being with and you love to talk to them.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><b><em><b><em><b><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><b>What do you still want to achieve?</b></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I’ve never made a film that was as emotional and as heart wrenching as certain works that I’ve seen. I hope to be able to make a human expression of what I think is the most beautiful and profound human emotional experience. I don’t feel I’ve ever made a film like that and I’m hoping I might have that potential. </span></p>
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<p class="p1"><b><b><b><strong><span class="s1">FAST&nbsp;</span>FACTS</strong><span class="s2">&nbsp;</span></b></b></b></p>
<p class="p1"><b><b><b><b>NAME: </b> </b></b></b>Francis Ford Coppola</p>
<p class="p1"><b><b><b><b>BIRTHDATE:</b> </b></b></b>April 7, 1939 (age 75)</p>
<p class="p1"><b><b><b><b>OCCUPATION: </b></b></b></b>Filmmaker <em>(see list below)</em>. Also, wine producer and resort owner.</p>
<p class="p1"><b><b><b><b>EDUCATION: </b></b></b></b>B.A., Hofstra University, 1960, M.F.A., UCLA, 1967</p>
<p class="p1"><b><b><b><span class="s1"><b>PERSONAL: </b></span></b></b></b><span class="s1">Lives in Rutherford, California. Married to Eleanor Coppola since 1963. Enjoys cooking, reading, travel. Three children: Gian-Carlo (born 1963, died 1986) Roman (born 1965), Sofia (born 1971), all film directors.&nbsp;</span></p>
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<p class="p1"><b><b><b><strong><span class="s1"><b>COPPOLA’S </b></span><b>GREATEST TRIUMPHS</b></strong></b></b></b></p>
<p class="p2">Francis Ford Coppola has made more than two dozen films since 1962, and he shows no signs of slowing down, having released five movies in just the last five years. Many of the films he has made over the last three decades—including <em>The Cotton Club</em>, <em>Peggy Sue Got Married</em> and <em>The Godfather Part III</em>—have been box-office and/or critical successes. Still, there’s no question that his greatest triumphs came during the 1970s, when he directed and co-wrote three movies that the American Film Institute (AFI) has ranked among the 100 best ever made in the U.S.:&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s3">• </span><em><strong><span class="s4">The Godfather</span></strong></em><span class="s3">&nbsp;(1972). Ranked #2 by AFI. Academy Award for best adapted screenplay; nominated for best director. Golden Globe Awards for best motion picture drama, best director, best screenplay.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p3">•&nbsp;<em><strong>The Godfather Part II </strong></em><span class="s3">(1974).</span> Ranked #32 by AFI. Academy Awards for best picture, best director, best screenplay. Nominated for Golden Globe Awards for best motion picture drama, best director, best screenplay.</p>
<p class="p3">•&nbsp;<em><strong>Apocalypse Now</strong></em> <span class="s3">(1979).</span> Ranked #30 by AFI. Golden Globe Award for best director; nominated for best motion picture. Nominated for Academy Awards for best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay.</p>
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<p class="p1"><em>Frequent contributor <a href="http://mgoldsmith@bjtonline.com" target="_blank">Margie Goldsmith</a>&nbsp;­interviewed entertainer Harry Connick, Jr. for our last issue.</em></p>
<p class="p4"><em><b><em><b><em><b><strong><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em><em>&nbsp;</em></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></em></strong></b></em></b></em></b></em></p>
</div></div></div>Mon, 26 Jan 2015 20:42:34 +0000Margie Goldsmith5391 at http://www.bjtonline.comhttp://www.bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/francis-ford-coppola#commentsCenter Stage: Harry Connick, Jr.http://www.bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/center-stage-harry-connick-jr
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.bjtonline.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/hc1_web.jpg?itok=gTLYHqNz" width="75" height="100" alt="Harry Connick, Jr. (Photo: Matthias Vriens-Mcgrath)" title="Harry Connick, Jr. (Photo: Matthias Vriens-Mcgrath)" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><div><em>The multifaceted entertainer discusses his career, his business jet travel and his efforts to aid New Orleans musicians in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.</em></div>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">With sales of more than 28 million albums, Harry Connick, Jr. ranks among America’s bestselling recording&nbsp;artists. A winner of three Grammys and two Emmys,&nbsp;this composer/pianist/silky-voiced singer is also an actor whose films include&nbsp;<i>Little Man Tate</i>, <i>Independence Day</i> and <i>Dolphin Tale</i>. On Broadway, Connick received Tony Award nominations as composer/lyricist of <i>Thou Shalt Not</i> and as lead actor in <i>The Pajama Game</i>. He had a recurring TV role on <i>Will &amp; Grace </i>and was one of the three judges on the latest season of <i>American Idol</i>.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p2">A child prodigy, Connick learned to play piano when he was 3. At 5, he sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” and accompanied himself on piano in his first public performance. At 9, he performed as a classical pianist with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra and, at 10, he made his first record, <i>Dixieland Plus</i>. (It was produced by his father, an amateur singer who served as district attorney of the parish that includes New Orleans from 1973 to 2003.)&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p2">Connick, who played Tanglewood at 16, left Loyola University in New Orleans after one semester and headed for New York City in search of a record contract. His big break came when Rob Reiner chose him to perform the soundtrack for 1989’s <i>When Harry Met Sally</i>, which went double platinum and earned Connick his first Grammy at age 22.&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p2">After Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans native wanted to make sure that music continued to be the city’s lifeblood, so he teamed with fellow recording artist Branford Marsalis to create Musicians’ Village, a community in the Upper Ninth Ward that provides homes for musicians and has a community center, performance hall, recording studio and after-school kids’ facility.</p>
<p class="p2">We talked with Connick at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, while he was in town for an <i>American Idol</i> taping. He was wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with a golden&nbsp;fleur-de-lis, which has long been a symbol for New Orleans and Louisiana and has recently been used to signify ­support for Hurricane Katrina recovery.</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>You played in New Orleans jazz&nbsp;clubs on Bourbon Street as a child?</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">It wasn’t uncommon to see young people in the clubs, and it’s not uncommon for older musicians in New Orleans to invite young musicians up to play. Over the years, my parents took me down there as much as they could. The musicians got to know me and they’d have me come up and play traditional jazz.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>When you were 14, you played your first professional jazz gig. How good were you at&nbsp;that point?</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">As good as I could have been, playing with guys way out of my league. In New Orleans music, the song forms can be very complicated. It is not like a traditional AABA song form—it might be AABACDABEA. When you play the melody, you have to commit that song form to memory because in a couple of choruses it is going to be time for your solo and if you don’t know the song form, it will be obvious to everybody onstage that you can’t keep up. You’re forced to be attentive.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Who’s your biggest musical influence?</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">[Jazz pianist] Ellis Marsalis was my formal teacher so I had his instruction and the experience of being around him in a performing context. [Rhythm and blues musician] James Booker was a completely different kind of influence—not a formal teacher but he taught me things whenever he could. These are heavyweights, and then there were all the people I listened to on records, from [rock singer and Queen front man] Freddie Mercury to Sinatra to [Peruvian soprano] Yma Sumac.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>What do you do to train as a singer?</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">A lot of it is very physical. I exercise and I don’t do what is going to hurt my voice: I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs. I try to sleep and I try to drink a lot of water. My voice is my instrument.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Did being from New Orleans inform you&nbsp;as a person?</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Profoundly. It’s hard to articulate, but there’s a spirit in New Orleans that is different from any other place I’ve been. You can’t help but come out of there with a deep connection to the place.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>At 18, you left New Orleans for New York City to pursue a record contract?</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">There was a guy named George Butler who had signed a gazillion people, among them, Wynton and Branford Marsalis. Butler had heard me when I was 14 at a jazz competition in Kansas City and said, “When you come to New York, gave me a call.” I called him every day for six months until he finally said, “OK, we’ll sign.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>How did you end up on TV,&nbsp;starring in <i>Will &amp; Grace</i>?</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I’d been doing plays and high school musicals and that was something I loved to do. When I was 20, I had the chance to play a part in a movie called <i>Memphis Belle</i>. I really liked it and decided to see if I could do both things [music and acting]; I could, because movies take a couple of months and albums take a couple of days to record. When you spend years and years as a performer, to me it’s a natural progression to do anything related to performance.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>You were a mentor on <em>American Idol</em><i>,&nbsp;</i>and now you’re a judge. What’s the difference?</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">As a mentor you can spend unlimited time and have a dialogue and break down a performance—it’s a real give and take. Judging is being presented&nbsp;with a performance and responding to it in like half&nbsp;a minute. It’s totally different. I haven’t met the kids on <i>American Idol,</i> and we’re months into it. It’s a&nbsp;very different dynamic.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>You live in Connecticut.&nbsp;Do you miss New Orleans?</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">No, because I’m home all the time. I call New Orleans my home because it is my birthplace and&nbsp;I’m always going back.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>You’re a musician, singer, composer, children’s book author, actor and </b><i>American Idol</i><b> judge, and you also have a wife and children. How do you do it all?</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Well, my wife and kids come first. My manager, whom I’ve been with for almost 30 years, knows how </span><span class="s2">important my family is, so when it comes to making up my schedule, she makes sure that my family comes first. Before I got married and had kids, I’d go on the road for six months. Now I go for two weeks tops and then come </span><span class="s1">home for a couple of weeks. That works better for me.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>How often do you fly?</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I fly to Los Angeles every week as part of my job as an <i>American Idol</i> judge, and I fly to New Orleans about eight times a year.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>How do you fly?&nbsp;</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">I’ve used fractional shares and jet cards and I’ve caught rides with friends, and I also fly commercial. My private flights—usually on a GV, Citation X or Hawker 800XP—depend on the project and the studio or network.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Who flies with you?&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">If I’m traveling for personal matters, I’m usually with my family, and if it’s for business it can be just me or my entire band, depending on whether I’m performing or just doing something solo.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Why do you fly privately?</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">It’s all about time. If you need to get somewhere quickly and conveniently, it’s the way to go. Movie sets and concerts aren’t always in cities that have direct routes for commercial flights, so private jets can help me get from point A to point B directly.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Twenty-one years ago, you created the Orpheus super krewe for Mardi Gras. How did that happen?</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">There were no parades that formally included black people and white people or men and women. There was one black parade and one female parade, but the rest of them were all white men. I thought to have something so socially significant [that is not] an accurate representation of the population of New Orleans seemed a little off, so I pulled some smart people together and we decided to do something new.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>You started the Musicians’ Village in 2007&nbsp;with Branford Marsalis. How did you go about&nbsp;doing that?</b></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">After Katrina, everybody left, which decimated the population of musicians in New Orleans. They needed places to work, so Branford and I thought, “What could we do?” I’d done some work with Habitat for Humanity and we ended up with Habitat and the applicants for what was to be a Musicians’ Village, building about 80 residences. A federal mandate says you can’t exclude non-musicians, so we just made sure that every musician we knew signed up. About 80 percent of the people living in Musicians’ Village are musicians and their families. The centerpiece is a multimillion-dollar, state-of-the-art complex, the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music with a performance hall, recording facilities and classes seven days a week. Some of the musicians who live in the Village teach and volunteer—it’s just turned into this amazing thing. We are very proud of it.&nbsp;</span></p>
<hr>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Fast Facts</b></span></p>
<p class="p2">NAME: Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr.</p>
<p class="p2">BIRTHDATE: Sept. 11, 1967 (age 47)</p>
<p class="p2">OCCUPATION: Singer, musician, composer, actor&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p2">TRANSPORTATION: Chartered business jets. Has also had fractional shares&nbsp;and jet cards.</p>
<p class="p2">EDUCATION: New Orleans Center&nbsp;for Creative Arts, Loyola University&nbsp;(one semester)</p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s2">PERSONAL: Married to actress and&nbsp;former model Jill Goodacre since 1994. </span><span class="s3">Children: Georgia, 18; Kate, 17; Charlotte, 12.&nbsp;</span><span class="s2">Loves fishing.</span></p>
<hr>
<p class="p2"><em><span class="s1"><a href="http://mgoldsmith@bjtonline.com" target="_blank">Margie Goldsmith</a>, a regular contributor to <strong>BJT</strong>, wrote about gorilla tracking in Rwanda for our last issue.</span></em></p>
</div></div></div>Wed, 26 Nov 2014 18:29:43 +0000Margie Goldsmith5291 at http://www.bjtonline.comhttp://www.bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/center-stage-harry-connick-jr#commentsRenaissance Woman Barbara Barretthttp://www.bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/renaissance-woman-barbara-barrett
<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.bjtonline.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/11.21.jpg?itok=bJjdmrv6" width="100" height="68" alt="(Photo: Bill Bernstein)" title="(Photo Bill Bernstein)" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Barbara Barrett, CEO of Montana’s Triple Creek Ranch luxury resort, wears a cowboy hat but also many other hats: former U.S. ambassador to Finland, attorney, graduate school president, pilot, horsewoman, adventurer and astronaut.<br><br />
Brought up on a farm in Pennsylvania, Barrett learned as a teenager to saddle, feed and shoe horses. She left the farm for college in Arizona, earned her law degree and clerked at Greyhound Corporation. An executive of two Fortune 500 companies before she turned 30, she has had seats on 10 corporate boards, including those of Raytheon and Piper Aircraft. Through the years, Barrett has also served on at least 50 not-for-profit boards, including those of the Hershey Trust and the Mayo Clinic. She has been president and CEO of the American Management Association, president of the International Women’s Forum and a senior advisor to the U.S. at the United Nations; she also taught leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School; and was deputy administrator of the FAA, vice chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board and founding chairperson of Arizona’s Valley Bank.<br><br />
Barrett has climbed Tanzania’s Mt. Kilimanjaro, hiked New Zealand’s Milford Track and the Grand Canyon (rim to rim) and cycled around Finland and Arizona, but her most passionate avocation is horseback riding. She gets a chance to do some of that at Triple Creek Ranch, which she purchased in 1993 with her husband Craig, a former chairman and CEO of Intel.<br><br />
We slowed Barrett down enough during a New York City business trip to conduct this interview.<br><br />
<strong>What’s the best advice your father ever gave you?</strong><br><br />
In my generation, girls had three choices: teacher, secretary or nurse. When I was four I said I wanted to be a nurse and my dad said, “Why not a doctor?” That was my breakaway moment, and since then, I’ve always asked myself, “Why not this or this?”<br><br />
<strong>Who was your mentor?</strong><br><br />
Sandra Day O’Connor. I was interning at the [Arizona] state legislature and from her I learned you’ve got to be good, have talent, and you have to have something extra. She had a law degree, and I thought my way of getting there was with a law degree.<br><br />
<strong>How did you meet your husband?</strong><br><br />
I’d just finished a board meeting in Phoenix on July 20, 1979, and took a hike up Squaw Peak [now called Piestewa Peak]. I was sitting up at the top, watching the sunset, when a male hiker arrived. We ended up hiking down together and had the inevitable conversation about what do you do. He said that he was a manager in a small electronics firm so I figured he must be the night clerk at a Radio Shack. He turned out to be the general manager of Intel Corporation and later became Intel’s chairman and CEO. He’s always been understated.<br><br />
<strong>You were flying an airplane when a more typical onboard role for women was to be flight attendants. How did that happen?</strong><br><br />
When I was a kid, Dad took me on a short flight in a four-seater and I loved it. As a Christmas gift one year, I purchased pilot training for my husband, who didn’t use it. So I did, doing the training with Lufthansa in Arizona.<br><br />
<strong>Do you fly now?</strong><br><br />
I don’t fly often enough to fly anybody, so I fly only with an instructor pilot.<br><br />
<strong>How do you travel?</strong><br><br />
Sometimes charter, sometimes air taxi and often corporate.<br><br />
<strong>Why do you fly privately?</strong><br><br />
Time is important to me. I don’t have the luxury of taking the slow way of getting there, and travel in commercial aircraft is not a luxury by any stretch of the imagination. I might need to be at a board meeting in Tucson and then dinner in Las Vegas, and the only way to get there is by private jet. I can get more work done, so it’s more productive.<br><br />
<strong>When you fly privately, what company do you choose?</strong><br><br />
We have used [fractional providers] NetJets and Flight Options a lot over the years. Today we mostly charter.<br><br />
<strong>What was it like to serve asambassador to Finland?</strong><br><br />
The privilege of serving the president, the privilege of serving America in a foreign country and being a personification of this nation for me was a significant responsibility. I’ve done a lot of work in public diplomacy in America, and I made a special effort to be strong on communications with the people of Finland, not just the government.<br><br />
<strong>You biked 900 kilometers around Finland. Would you consider yourself an adventurer?</strong><br><br />
Each year, I try to do one exertive vacation, something that will either make me get in shape, stay in shape, or I’m going to hurt.<br><br />
<strong>I understand that you are an accidental astronaut. How did that happen?</strong><br><br />
I think I am less probable an astronaut than just about any one of those other seven billion people walking the face of the Earth. Space Adventures, the company that does the space tourism programs, had an unexpected short-lead-time seat available. I’d worked with the CEO, who asked if I would be willing to be the backup. That’s like a lightning strike; that’s beyond extraordinary.<br><br />
They had a very short time frame to get two people trained. They had the primary astronaut and needed somebody who would be willing to train and support the primary. They thought I was fit enough, and they thought that as a pilot I’d have the basic aeronautical understanding. I wasn’t so sure I’d be fit enough or have the rocket-science aptitude to be an astronaut. Normally, it takes 20 years to be a part of that system. In my case, it was four and a half months, a very compressed calendar.<br><br />
<strong>Why did you buy Triple Creek Ranch?</strong><br><br />
We thought about getting a second home, a retreat, someplace nestled among the mountains and either with enough land to explore or a place adjacent to a national forest or park. This was the perfect arrangement. We’d originally gone there as guests; we made an offer and bought the ranch. We made a lot of changes, taking down the smaller cabins, freshening and expanding the cabins we kept, and designing more upscale luxury cabins. We upgraded the food, the wine cellar and the landscaping and added Western art. We’ve tripled the size of the guest ranch, added an additional 26,000 acres of cattle ranch and nature preserve and added a couple hundred bison.<br><br />
<strong>How do you manage the Ranch?</strong><br><br />
The general managers run the day-to-day operations. We have a staff of about 50 year-round.<br><br />
<strong>In 1994 you were the first female Republican to run for governor of Arizona. Would you do it again?</strong><br><br />
I wouldn’t shy away from it. You never say never in politics.<br><br />
<strong>You were the first civilian woman to land in an FA-18 Hornet on an aircraft carrier. How did that happen?</strong><br><br />
I was a civilian advisor to the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A law had been passed in 1948 that women could fly tankers and transports but not fighters or bombers or aircraft “engaged in combat.” We worked to get the law changed. There was a Navy admiral who had daughters [and was] not one to be told girls can’t do these things; he invited me to train and qualify to fly an F-18 Hornet. I had the privilege of landing on the Nimitz.<br><br />
<strong>What was the fun part of serving as ambassador to Finland?</strong><br><br />
I bicycled across Finland, rounded up reindeer, dogsledded, downhill and cross-country skied, snowmobiled, helicoptered. They fly American-made F-18s and the Chief of Staff of their Air Force challenged me to a dogfight over northern Finland.<br><br />
<strong>Who won?</strong><br><br />
Well, he got me once; I got him once. It was a diplomatic solution. We didn’t do a tie-breaker.<br><br />
<strong>What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about aviation?</strong><br><br />
Aviation is commerce. The economy flies on the wings of aircraft.<br><br />
<strong>You are on the board of the [nonprofit educational] Space Foundation. Where do we stand in space right now?</strong><br><br />
This may be the darkest hour in space for America. The government has pulled out cold turkey of manned space flight. We’re seeing an aggressive push by the Russians, China and the European Space Agency. Japan and Korea are active, and India has done some launches. Our regression in space exploration has provided opportunity for both American business and national competitors, globally.<br><br />
<strong>What sparked your interest in economic opportunity for women?</strong><br><br />
Probably my heritage. When Mother was widowed, she was dependent upon getting make-work jobs, which inspired me. You don’t know what life is going to deal you and need to be able to produce something. I’ve been working with the U.S./Afghan Women’s Council in four key areas that dictate their future: education, health, economic empowerment and civics. We began with Afghan women and now we have a program, called 10,000 Women, to help women around the world. Over 60,000 women have gotten training on how to start a business or improve their business acumen.<br><br />
<strong>What is your passion?</strong><br><br />
Education. My astronaut patch said, “Knowledge is the gateway.” We talk about potential energy and kinetic energy—that potential energy is lost when 50 percent of the population is not included. I am passionate about helping women develop their full potential.<br><br />
<strong>What does leadership mean to you?</strong><br><br />
Leadership is nothing if there aren’t followers. Leadership is having vision and finding inspiring people to share the passion for that vision.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Fast Facts:</strong><br><br />
<strong>NAME:</strong> Barbara Barrett<br><br />
<strong>BORN: </strong>December 26, 1950 (age 63)<br><br />
<strong>POSITION:</strong> President &amp; CEO, Triple Creek Ranch, a luxury resort in Montana, since 1993<br><br />
<strong>PREVIOUS POSITIONS: </strong>Interim president, Thunderbird School of Global Management (2012); U.S. Ambassador to Finland (2008–09); senior advisor to the U.S., United Nations General Assembly (2006); president, International Women’s Forum (1999–2001): president and CEO, American Management Association (1997–98); founding chairman, Valley Bank of Arizona (1996–2003); deputy administrator, Federal Aviation Administration (1988–89); vice chairman and other positions, U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board (1982–85)<br><br />
<strong>EDUCATION: </strong>B.A., M.B.A. and J.D. degrees from Arizona State University, and six<br><br />
honorary degrees<br><br />
<strong>PERSONAL:</strong> Lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Married 29 years to Craig Barrett, retired chairman and CEO of Intel.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Margie Goldsmith (<a href="mailto:mgoldsmith@bjtonline.com">mgoldsmith@bjtonline.com</a>) interviewed <a href="http://www.bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/david-copperfield">David Copperfield</a> for our June/July issue.</em></p>
</div></div></div>Wed, 06 Aug 2014 21:53:58 +0000Margie Goldsmith5046 at http://www.bjtonline.comhttp://www.bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/renaissance-woman-barbara-barrett#comments